When the Miami Heat open the season Dec. 25 on the road against the Dallas Mavericks, it will pit the Heat against defending NBA champions. Sort of.

To Heat guard Dwyane Wade the ongoing makeover in Dallas is a sign of changing championship times in the league.

Already gone from the Mavericks in free agency are center Tyson Chandler and forward Caron Butler, who was sidelined by a knee injury during last season’s NBA Finals. Point guard J.J. Barea, a prime Heat finals nemesis, might be lost, as well. Added by Dallas during this post-lockout whirlwind is former Heat forward Lamar Odom.

“I think that’s why nowadays winning one championship means so much, because you don’t know if you’re going to do it again,” Wade said after the first of two Heat training-camp sessions Sunday at AmericanAirlines Arena.

Q: After reading Chauncey’s comments, I’m convinced he’d rather sit out the year than play somewhere he doesn’t want to be. Do you think those teams under the cap will heed his warnings? — Eddy.

A: I think the league, especially the small-market teams, are at a point where they are beyond tired of the bullying by players. So, yes, I think at least one team operating below the cap will put in a claim for Chauncey, essentially forcing his hand if he wants to collect the balance of his contract. If he doesn’t report, he doesn’t get paid. Depending on the rules, which remain somewhat unclear at this stage, the claiming team could then try to flip him for at least a draft pick. But considering the amount of players who have bullied themselves into prime landing spots recently, who knows? I do think the Heat would hold the door open for him, considering they did that for Mike Bibby, who is not nearly the player that Chauncey still could be.

Q: Why do the Heat not have the bi-annual exception, as you tweeted? Did they use it last year? — Diego.

A: They don’t have it because of where they stand against the luxury tax and the fact that they utilized the lower-tier mid-level exception on Shane Battier. The good news is by not utilizing the full mid-level, they still can sign any player to a veteran-minimum deal. Essentially, it’s minimums only for the balance of the season for the Heat.

A: I don’t think he is, but some of those pictures in his early NBA days make you wonder if he wasn’t hanging out with a few who were. Look, you have to consider the market, the Heat’s needs and the options. It still is less than the average salary, which doesn’t exactly make it starter’s money. Plus, the third year is a team option and comes when the luxury tax grows exponentially. So does two years at $8 million sound better? Look, it’s not as if the Heat had to waste an exception, since Mario had Bird Rights. And if Micky Arison wants to spend it, who are we to get in the way? (And, no, I don’t think Micky is on drugs, either.)

Q: Will Eddy Curry be this year’s Magloire? — Artie.

A: I have to say that in all the years Jamaal was here, I can’t recall any other player being compared to him. And, in short, no. Eddy is not Canadian. Then again, Jamaal hardly contributed or played, so perhaps Eddy winds up as exactly that. Third-string centers can be a dime a dozen in this league, so if Dexter Pittman pans out, this could all be moot. But at the minimum, Eddy is more than worth a shot.

“There’s going to be some stability there,” James Jones said Friday morning shortly after he agreed to return as a free agent, following a similar decision by Heat free-agent point guard Mario Chalmers.

Take Jamaal Magloire, Erick Dampier and Zydrunas Ilgauskas out of the picture (they hardly were in the picture at the end of last season) and remove Mike Bibby, as well (after he removed himself with his playoff play), and the Heat largely resemble the group that came up two victories shy of a 2011 championship.

Q: How likely is a Heat lineup of Dwyane Wade, LeBron James, Shane Battier, Mike Miller and Chris Bosh? And what do you think about it? — Aaron.

A: Look, I believe without any further moves, the Heat already have their closing lineup. If the opposition goes bigger, it could be Bosh, Udonis Haslem, LeBron, Wade and either Miller or Battier. If the opposition goes small, then you could remove Haslem from that mix for both Miller and Battier. What the Heat don’t have is a starting lineup, and, honestly, I don’t think that it’s that big a deal. The realty is Bosh can be the closer at center and Wade, Miller or LeBron the de facto point guards at the finish. The Heat’s starting center and point guard could find themselves merely playing nominal minutes.

Q: I believe Eddy Curry is going to do well in the Heat culture. Any truth to Chauncey Billups in a Heat uniform? He would be a huge upgrade over Bibby. — Chet.

A: I think Eddy has a chance, perhaps the second coming of Ike Austin. But it mostly will be a case of seeing is believing in camp. Chauncey is a longshot, since he twice would have to pass through NBA waivers before the Heat would get a shot. But he would be a terrific fit.

Q: So now no T-Mac (Atlanta), no Grant Hill (back to Phoenix), no Sam Dalembert (money), no Nene (Denver), no Caron Butler (Bulls or Spurs), no Jamal Crawford (back to Atlanta). I thought people would be lining up at the AAA to play with these guys. What happened? Sorry, but I can’t be optimistic here. — Julio.

A: If you can’t be optimistic with LeBron James, Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh on your roster, then you clearly have free-agent envy instead of NBA common sense. Wake up man! Shake out it! Your time had already come: It was July 2010. What happened was the Heat finished two victories from a championship, have their reserve power forward healthier and their sixth-man possibly moving in that direction, and they have decided not to overspend. But this also hardly is over. There are plenty of players who still want to be part of this. And Shane Battier is a heck of a start to the process.

Q: I’m beginning to feel this was Riley’s strategy all along: The Heat wait, then pick up low-priced players with a chip on their shoulders. — Chet

A: Tell that to Julio (above), please. That tends to be how they roll, waiting for the right pieces at the right price, such as the addition of Battier. It will be tough enough down the road dealing with the luxury tax, let alone adding to that burden by mistakenly overpaying now.

Q: Don’t you think the season is too compact? Players are going to get hurt. Besides, the regular season is meaningless. Ask LeBron. Why push the regular season and potentially hurt your product when the playoffs matter? — Stuart.

A: Because the league didn’t want the playoffs to come off as counterfeit after a makeshift season like in 1999. I think this will be a legitimate season, just a different sort of season. It’s safe to say Miami, Chicago, Boston and Orlando (if they keep Dwight) still will rise to the expected levels in the East. I do think this scheduling is brutal and one of my peeves is retaining the All-Star Game (now there’s a truly counterfeit experience). It’s absurd that amid all this clutter the Heat will have six days off for the All-Star break.

Q: Didn’t a team that was thrown together last year with key injuries to two of its top five rotation players (Haslem/Miller) miss the title by two wins? Last I checked Chicago still only had D-Rose who could create his own shot. Phil Jackson is gone and Erik Spoelstra is younger than the average age of the Celtics. I give credit to the Mavs who played a great series but this is the NBA. I will take superstars over jump shooters every time (and if they lose Chandler, they are .500). — Steve.

A: If you are saying there are worse things than keeping this roster intact, I agree. There is nothing wrong with chasing an answer at center, but too much tinkering certainly isn’t needed. Of course, there would be more confidence if Miller was ambulatory, Chalmers would accept that the Heat’s qualifying offer should be good enough, and Haslem actually had worked full-court at all this offseason.

IRA WINDERMAN is embarking on his 24th season covering the Miami Heat for the Sun-Sentinel, witnessing more than 1,900 of the team's games (thus the bags under the eyes and hair loss not truly depicted by the accompanying photo). With the help of antacids (during the lean years) and a sense of humor (during the Riley dictatorship), he has been able to remain a courtside fixture at AmericanAirlines Arena, a veteran 12 years older than coach Erik Spoelstra. Only former trainer Ron Culp had attended more Heat games, but, then again, Winderman has yet to tape his first ankle.